KUROGANE: Reminisce
by Mugen7
Summary: (AU FanFiction/Gajeel-centric/1st of possible KUROGANE stories) He looks back on what has happened to him so far in his life, as well as the attachments he made with some. Question is, are those attachments worth it?


**A.N****: A bit of this and a bit of that, sprinkle some of that on, roast... yeah whatever, here we have this. After reading a few stories - and re-reading one of my own - I ended up constructing this on a whim. An experiment conducted from the rush of ideas swarming around in this scatter brained head of mine (oh the madness). Not sure as to what will become of this. It won't be a multi-chapter story that's for, but - if anything/possible - will be a collection of stories, sequels, and depending on how much I get into each one some will contain more than one chapter. Thinking of naming the series 'KUROGANE' as it revolves around Gajeel (I mean what better name is there than to name it after the main focus himself). Nevertheless we have the first of many stories that may come from me on the subject. So to all those out there who bother to read this one-shot of mine then see if it appeals to your taste and lemme know what ya think afterwards.**

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><p><strong><span>Disclaimer<span>: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

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><p><span><strong>Reminisce<strong>

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><p><em>It was nights like this that he could do something counter-productive with his time. Bare that in mind that anything he did with his time was never counter-productive. He was always active and on the go. But taking the time to think things over wasn't a necessity he took refuge partaking in. He knew how to use his head believe you me, but using it in such a, deep manner, was something he neither considered nor took the time to do.<em>

_He had gotten into the habit of staying up during the late hours of the night glaring up at the ethereal mass of white light that shone through the heavens._

_The Moon; said to represent our deepest personal needs, our basic habits and reactions, and our unconscious. _

_Such a beautiful thing he thought; with its simplistic form and silvery shine. But he also felt it was false and taunting. False because it is said the Moon reveals truths about a person. But those truths can be something that we take no joy in knowing or could be easily misinterpreted, far from the actual truth. And taunting, because it held such brilliance that belonged only to itself. As if it were exploiting the sheer magnitude of its divinity and mocking what little life below it had compared to it._

_To him it was as if it was laughing in his face. 'I have so much and you have nothing', is what he felt like it was saying to him._

_._

_._

_._

_However, on this particular night he watches the Moon from the shelter of his cavern. High up in the mountains away from forestation and living life that nestled far down the mountain sides. Nothing but the Wind and the inhuman snores to keep him company through the silent night._

_"Dad."_

_A deep and heavy growl rumbled from the depths of the cavern. Its sound echoing off the callous stone enclosure._

_"Why do you fight?" was the question he longed to ask._

_To say it was and odd question would've been an understatement were it not for the fact that the boy had more than once now queried topics that were out of character for him. Ever since the first time the young lad asked something so uncommon it'd thought that mental fatigue was the cause of the child's unnatural behavior._

_Hardly, it knew better than to suspect such._

_The boy was undoubtedly smart for and infant, in his own unique way that is. But he would unlikely come across as someone with brains for he stuck to his brawn instead most of the time._

_He was wild and fierce, and like all infants, he didn't know any better when still growing and trying to find his place in the world. Always putting on a brave face, quick-tempered, never one to back down from a challenge even when that stubbornness of his could easily get him killed should he continue to act rashly. His tenacity was one of the boy's best features though, as well as being headstrong and adorning a rough exterior that was invariably on for show. But beneath it all was a child with a frail heart, one that needed to be treated carefully so that it could be later forged into a heart that could withstand any pain inflicted upon it._

_An Iron Heart._

_._

_._

_._

_**"I haven't quite figured it out yet, son."**_

_The weighted sound of movement drew closer, and from the darkness a large and rounded blunt armored head poked itself out. The head, of a Dragon._

_**"Do I fight in order to gain power? Or do I gain power in order to fight? In all my years of living I have still yet to find the answer to why it is I yearn to do battle. But what I do know son, Is that I live with the desire to seek battle. That is the way I have always been. Born to fight, and my instincts shall continue to lead me into battle for as long as need be... and I will relish in the thrill of it all, every second of it." **__The beast spoke edging itself closer to the entrance of the cave allowing the moonlight to shine on what became exposed of it's metallic form._

_Metalicana, The Iron Dragon - A ruthless, crude and cold-hearted beast. A battle hardened Dragon who'd faced many a foe, achieved countless victories and had an iron resolve that was sturdy and unshakable like an immovable mountain. His body of iron, forged from all the fights he'd immersed himself in, and the wounds that he had received, were a small price to pay on his part._

_Never would one have guessed that such a powerful and legendary creature would adopt a child, a human child no less, and raise it as one of it's own. Tough love is what it was between the two of them. Anyone who saw how the gargantuan predator raised the child would have surely believed that it was trying to kill the boy. But that was Metalicana's own way of expressing himself towards the child as a parent. Besides, there was no way the Iron Dragon was going to raise a softy._

_And young Gajeel's behavior towards the terrifying beast; no doubt such a display would come across as the young boy demanding for a quick death sentence. Not bothering to heed the warnings given to him from his father._

_Like the saying goes, "Them who don't hear shall feel", and Gajeel had definitely 'felt' alright._

_**"Tell me, Gajeel. Why is it that you choose to fight?"**_

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><p><em><strong>[Insert Music: Bleach Original Soundtrack 1, Track 13 - Burden of the Past by Shiro Sagisu]<strong>_

His eyelids flickered open as he came into conscious from his sleep induced state. Once again he had dreamt of that overgrown gecko (what he called his Dragon of a father). The dreams started to become a lot more frequent as of late. Memories of his, childhood. Last time he had a dream of the two of them was seven years ago sometime after he was abandoned and left to survive on his own. That is until the day he had been discovered by the former Wizard Saint and Master of Phantom Lord, Jose Porla. The day he had been brought to the Guild and began his new life. From then onward the dreams started to lessen to the point they never happened anymore. But years later the memories came rushing back, and the most recent dream was of the night before Metalicana disappeared on that very day – July 7th X777.

_**("Tell me, Gajeel. Why is it that you choose to fight?")**_

The last words the damn gecko ever spoke to him. He never gave his answer that night (must've fallen asleep) but the question still remains – why is it that he chooses to fight?

Scoffing to himself at the thought of the question itself. The answer was simple; because he loved to fight.

"Stupid."

It's in his nature; to seek powerful opponents and engage them in battle. To test his abilities, to further strengthen himself and break every limitation set on him. He always loved a good fight. He yearned for it. Only when he immersed himself in the thrill of combat did he feel truly alive, at peace with himself. Just living in the moment, like every fight was his last.

He had a lot more in common with Metalicana than he initially realized at first. But when he took the time to think it over it became sickeningly apparent that he and the Dragon were so very much alike. And that truth didn't bode well for him one bit. Not because he was kind of like the very creature who'd raised him as his own son, but because he, hypothetically, was an incarnation of the one who left him, _betrayed him._

It didn't matter that they weren't blood. He is his father's son.

Imagining by some ludicrously absurd chance that he was indeed the spawn of that bastard. It was so funny, and yet he couldn't find it in himself to laugh.

"Damn, still sore." He glowered working out the kinks in his joints and massaging his muscles (no pain, no gain). "No time like the present."

Yes, time to get things underway.

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><p><strong>KUROGANE<strong>

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><p>His life had been anything but smooth since he joined Fairy Tail. Absolutely hectic, nothing but one rollercoaster after the next (metaphorically speaking).<p>

Why that senile old man felt it in his right to bring Gajeel into Fairy Tail he couldn't understand for the life of him. For Earthland sake he had waged war on the damn Guild, incapacitated three of its members, mutilated another – who happened to be the catalyst for it all – and brought about the destruction of the Guild hall itself. So why? Why the hell was that midget adamant about making him apart of _their_ _family_ after everything he had done to them?

What was it the geezer had said to him back at the junk yard? Spouting some garbage about not being able to forgive himself if he had stood by and allowed a young soul to fall into the darkness, or some shit like it.

"Tch, bullshit."

Who did he think he was, the jolly ol' saint?

. . .

Well, he is jolly when he wants to be, and certainly a saint. A _Wizard Saint_ now let's be clear. But damn did he have to go and play the Good Samaritan all of a sudden. He said it himself; he would never forgive him for bringing harm to his children, yet after expressing his anger he had the gall to make him a member in the end. What the flying fuck was up with that?

"Senile idiot."

So Makarov had given him a helping hand, not for free of course. While Gajeel received residency, a place to come _home_ to, he would have to do some of the old man's dirty work in repentance for his sins. A reconnaissance mission by acting as a double-agent and gathering inside information on his son, Ivan Dreyar, and his Dark Guild Raven Tail.

Ironically enough sometime after Phantom Lord's disbandment Ivan had located Gajeel and offered him membership in his Guild, _after_ he had reluctantly accepted joining Makarov first.

"Lead me outta the darkness only t' ship me back in eh. Yeah, makes perfect sense."

To him the darkness was inescapable. There was no hope for him. He wasn't exactly the purest guy around he could assure you of that.

Cold, apathetic, merciless, brutal; some facts about his character. He had a pension for violence – due to his love of battle – and just to prove that he wasn't pure, he had killed before. Not the accidental 'kill' or the kill when one goes hunting in the wild. No, Gajeel 'Kurogane' Redfox had actually taken another person's life. Intentionally, willingly and without hesitation.

Heck, if it wasn't for Bunny Girl's interference he would've killed Salamander right then and there. Another second and the guy would've been shredded by his Tetsuryūken and reduced to nothing more than a mutilated corpse.

"Lucky bastard."

The thing about killing is that once you do it once it gets easier the more times you do it over time. Becomes like second nature to you. I guess you could even say that he's an actual killer.

Killing wasn't something he did for sport. He didn't take pleasure in it, nor did he regret the lives he took either. It is what it is. Some say that if you don't feel anything – emotionally – when you kill someone, or something, then you aren't considered human anymore. You're heartless, soulless, mindless… can't say that it mattered to him. To be perfectly honest he didn't care what it made him.

"I Am Who I Am."

He wasn't gonna show pity for those he killed, he would get pissed off himself if someone showed pity for him as he drew his last breath. There were many he showed respect for before ending their existence, but that soon started to dwindle as the competition became less and less.

Makarov for sure wouldn't have accepted him into his Guild if he had known of the things he'd done. Fairy Tail didn't believe in killing, that all life is precious. Ha, such a one sided view he thought; black and white. The elder Dreyar would without a doubt attempt to force his ideals on him and make him change his ways. He'd never hear the end of it. At least Jose accepted that part about him and never tried to make him into someone he wasn't. So longs as he didn't go around committing murders like the plague – which he didn't – all was good. In fact Gajeel had been one of many Mages in Fiore who was an exception to the 'N.K.L.R' (No Killing Law Regulation). The Magic Council knew of some of the missions he took and the dangers that most of them entailed. There were times when things got so out of hand that he had no choice but to slaughter his enemies. But all knowledge of Mages exemplified from the ruling was kept in secrecy of course. The last thing the Council needed were Mages, especially the younger generations, taking a dark turn about how they handled missions. Plus they had a reputation to uphold, they didn't need that being sullied due to some publicity stunt.

Only a few people knew that Gajeel had killed before (minus the Council and Jose); Juvia, Lily… and Ryos.

"Wonder how the runts doing?"

He didn't know what happened to the kid. After the Guild War they both went into isolation, but not before sending some parting words to his sworn younger brother and former apprentice before taking his leave. Made sure to let the kid know that if he slacked off in his training then he'd beat the crap out of him. Ha, the look on Ryos' face when he promised him that.

"Gee-hee-hee." Their relationship revolved around fear, and boy did Gajeel strike fear into the heart of the young Mage._'Well at least he did his best to stand up to me. I'll give him high marks for that.'_

Now he reached his destination. Arriving at the Guild he pushed open one of the large double doors and stepped inside making his way through, being greeted by the same atmosphere that was apparent whenever he entered. The usual, same shit different day; the volume dropped in some areas, then came the sound of whispering – honestly were they that stupid. Hellooo, acute hearing. Seriously what a bunch of morons (did they think Salamander was the only one who can hear extremely well) – and let's not forget the rejecting and hateful looks that were directed at him. Clearly these Fairies didn't have the guts to come up to him and say what they wanted to say all along to him. Not counting speedy and the plant guy no one else had the stomach for it.

He's the outcast and it'll stay that way. He didn't care about these people, the same way they didn't care about him. If possible he'd do them all a great favor and just leave the Guild. Wasn't like he enjoyed being here to begin with. No one would miss him. But he couldn't leave, not yet. As soon as his work for Makarov was done and Raven Tail was dealt with in whatever sort of fashion the old man saw fit to use, then and only then would he be able to leave, would his sentence be over and he could finally leave this prison.

"Hello Gajeel." Came the sickeningly sweet voice of Fairy Tail's Demon and retired S-Class Mage, Mirajane Strauss. "How are you today?"

"Fine." He answered taking a seat at the Guilds bar, folding his arms over the varnished wooden counter.

Little was always said between the two of them. He would always come in and they would exchange a few words before he would go about his business – either sitting in his dark corner of the Guild hall or grabbing a long-term job request and departing straight afterwards.

In fact that's all it had been now for him; missions, missions, missions. Always grabbing the hardest job request available and ones that would ensure he'd be away for as long as possible (losing his S-Class status he had to make do with what he could get, but the requests he chose always kept him busy, and the work was good, paid well). The rest of the time he'd either be fulfilling requests from Makarov regarding Raven Tail or gathering Intel on other Dark Guilds, or training rigorously for obscene hours of the day. He was overworked, but he didn't care. He was used to excessive work. Should've been bad for his health but he fought through it all. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger after all.

"Here you go." The white-haired beauty returned with a meal for him to savor; two seasoned grilled steaks, lots of steamed green vegetables mixed in with carrots and parsnips, a bowl of iron ore and a glass of mineral water (she even kept the extracted fluid from the steamed vegetables for him to drink. He had actually asked her to do that for him, saying how it was still useful).

"Thanks."

"You're welcome Gajeel." She gave him a serene smile before walking off to waiter someone else who called out to her.

He watched her go from the corner of his sight. Mirajane was one of the few people here whom he tolerated. Didn't expect it when she came up to him one day and spoke to him, asking how he was settling in. He just expected her to be like everyone else; leaving him to his own devices. But she didn't. It came as an even greater shock when she came back to him later on and brought food. Food… _food_, for _him_ to _eat_. He was cautious at first, but after a while, he ate it.

He didn't want her to do that for him. She had no right, no need to do it. He wanted her to hate him like everyone else, still hold anger towards him… however she did the exact opposite. Mirajane had showed him kindness, way more than he deserved and should've been given. Surely there was some form of hate towards him that she had. Surely?

He wanted to know why she was doing this, acting this way towards him.

_("I forgive you.")_

. . .

That's what she said to him. That's what she _bloody_ said to him.

"Damnit!"

Why had she forgiven him?

_("You're not without conscious.")_

He wanted her to hate him, _loathe him._

_("You were acting out of loyalty. Even knowing what you did was wrong and what your actions would bring you followed through with it to the end.")_

"Why?"

_("Everyone deserves a chance at redemption. Even the lowest of people.")_

.

.

.

Even the whole ordeal with Laxus. She thanked him for helping Salamander to stop him from completing his objective.

Now just to clarify he didn't fight Laxus to stop him from completing his objective, and he certainly wasn't helping Salamander to bring down the Lightning Mage. He only fought him because the Dreyar was worth fighting. Laxus was strong, freakishly strong, and the revelation that the Lightning Mage was a Dragon Slayer brought more to the thrill. Though it aggravated Gajeel to learn of this, how the ex-communicated Dreyar was of the Second Generation; an artificial Dragon Slayer who attained his Magic through the implanting of a Dragon Lacrima inside his body.

Whereas as he trained endlessly and struggled to achieve his Dragon Slaying Arts, Laxus just had his handed to him (No doubt Ivan's doing. How did he obtain a Dragon Lacrima in the first place?). He wasn't ignorant; though the power was there just waiting to be unlocked Laxus still had to train damn hard to master it, which he did. But knowing that didn't make him happy. Nevertheless when it came down to it Laxus was a joy to fight. He even told all this to Mirajane and albeit to that knowledge she still thanked him anyways.

'_She's weird.'_ He commented in thought as he started to eat his food. "Man I love her cooking." He admitted.

He always cooked for himself. Gajeel wasn't sure when the last time he had a home cooked meal that was prepared by someone else.

'_Never.'_ Mirajane was, the first.

"Always a pleasure to know you enjoy my cooking Gajeel."

"GAH!" He exclaimed nearly jumping out of his seat, startled by the Take Over Mage's sudden return. "Damnit woman stop doing that." Gajeel chided.

Mirajane gave a hearty giggle at his reaction. She loved startling him, "I can't help it." She said to him innocently.

He groaned, not bothering to get into an argument with her he continued to eat.

"Is the food okay Lily?" She asked.

Pantherlily – Exceed, former resident of Extalia and Ex-First Division Commander of the Royal Army of Edolas, and the Iron Dragon Slayer's trusted companion.

Lily was also an outcast just like his partner. He was exiled from Extalia and labelled a 'Fallen' by its Elders because he had saved the human Prince's life when he was a child.

_("Even though it's a human, I can't just ignore a wounded creature.")_

That was the reason why he had saved Prince Jellal's life back then.

"The food is splendid Mirajane just as always." Lily spoke pleasantly now nibbling on a piece of Tuna.

"Glad you like it." Mirajane smiled happily.

Lily was like a brother to Gajeel. He stood by and supported him through his residency in Fairy Tail and went as far as to accompany the raven-haired Mage on the missions he embarked on from Makarov, making it his responsibility that Gajeel always returned with success, but more importantly, that he returned alive.

Fighting together side by side and ensuring the other's safety. They were "Brothers in Arms".

'_Brothers…'_

He had told Lily of his actions towards the Guild and the select members, including revealing his whole history to him, to which Lily returned the sentiment in kind.

Lily never judged Gajeel for the things he'd done. The Exceed admitted himself that he wasn't exactly pure either (only Gajeel had fallen _much_ deeper into the darkness than his partner did). But with the lives they both lived it'd be foolish to believe that something dark would never occur eventually. Gajeel just faced his sooner rather than later.

"So what's the plan for today boys?" Mirajane queried wiping down the bar counter with a cloth.

"Mission." Gajeel answered flatly.

The barmaid stopped her motions and looked at him sullenly, "You're leaving again already."

"Ya." He grunted crunching on a few balls of iron ore, not daring to meet Mirajane's gaze.

"But you just got back a week ago." She said.

"Correct."

"From a three week long mission may I remind you." She huffed fixing her hands on her hips.

"So?" Gajeel mellowed drinking some water.

"So? You've been taking missions left, right and center Gajeel. And when you do actually stay in town for a while you're either sleeping or training." She told him, remembering the times she witnessed one of the teen's training sessions.

The first time was completely by chance; Mirajane had gotten some time off from working at the Guild and felt to spend part of her free time traversing the forests not far from Magnolia and had stumbled upon the Iron Dragon Slayer in a heated workout. The other times she went to check-up on him, but she never talked to him. She kept her distance and watched him from afar. It was still early in his residency and Gajeel kept to himself – which he still does – only coming to the Guild to take on a request, occasionally eat, or when Makarov wished to speak to him.

There were a number of occasions when she caught Gajeel training with serious injuries received from whatever job he returned from – and when Gajeel trained he trained hard and to excess. Everything he did was hardcore (like himself). He was so focused, extremely diligent and fully committed to the regime. Honestly, she's never seen someone train so hard before. She had come across Natsu (Reckless), Gray (Serious), her brother Elfman (Raw… or as he would put it, "Manly!"), and not even they seemed to train at the level of intensity Gajeel did. Heck, she didn't believe Erza's training sessions compared to the raven-haired Mage's (and Erza was known for being excessive).

'_So reckless.'_ Sometimes he was livid when training, taking his frustrations out on everything around him. Even imaginary opponents she speculated.

"What's your point?" Gajeel questioned, furrowing his studded brows.

"You need to take a break Gajeel." Mirajane rebuked, "One of these days you _will_ severely hurt yourself."

"Tch." He droned, "Why do you- Mph!" He was cut off from finishing his sentence as a Tuna fillet smacked his face. "BAH! WHAT THE HELL LILY!" He roared in comical fashion, the black Exceed facing elsewhere acting totally oblivious to everything around him. "Asshole." Gajeel growled.

"Aaaw boo-hoo." Lily mocked still not facing his partner.

Mirajane shook her head at the antic, but refrained from becoming distracted by the raven-haired male's outbreak and answered his incomplete question. "I care because I worry about you." She spoke sincerely with warming eyes.

"Well ya shouldn't." Said Gajeel.

"Don't start." Heaving a sigh fully aware of what Gajeel was doing. She didn't like it when he acted this way; undeserving, unimportant, non-existent, and bitter. Lily being the exception, she presumed Gajeel wanted people to keep hating him. "Please… just stop it, okay."

"Hmph." Groaning at her worry. He didn't know when it started but he didn't like seeing her upset, not one bit.

.

.

.

Then all of a sudden the white-haired beauty's attitude made a 180 and now both occupants were greeted by _the_ Demon herself.

"**As for you."** She growled glaring at Lily who shivered in cold sweat. **"Shame on you for not stopping him."**

"B-Bu- I- Y-You- I… B- He-" Stammering from the darker half's intimidating look, her ominous aura flaring. '_Why me? _He cursed.

"Hey! Don't blame him." Gajeel cried indignantly slamming his hands on the counter, leaning over and moving in front of the Demon's face.

"**Why shouldn't I?"** Mirajane countered meeting Gajeel's scowling face.

"Because he did nothing wrong."

"**Yes he did."**

"No he didn't."

"**Oh yes he did."**

"Oh no he didn't."

Lily wasn't sure how to break the feud – still reeling in the fear that is Mirajane – but opted to try anyways. Any more of this and eventually all attention would be brought to them.

"Um, Gajeel…"

"_**Yes he did!"**_

"_No he didn't!"_

"Mirajane…"

"_**Yes! He! Did!"**_

"Uh, guys…"

"_No! He! Didn't!"_

"Maybe you two should calm-"

"_QUIET!/__**QUIET!"**_

**(Cue sweat-drop)** _'Such misfortune.'_

"GRAY-SAMAAAA~"

At last something to break the tension.

Juvia Loxar – former Mage of Phantom Lord and a member of its elite team, the Element Four.

The Water Mage was the first to invite Gajeel to join Fairy Tail with her, but he had refused, calling her stupid for even thinking of associating with the people that they tried to ruin. But she had become a member anyways – predominantly for the reason of being close to her love interest; Fairy Tail's Ice-Make Mage, Gray Fullbuster (her obsession knew no bounds seriously) – however unlike Gajeel, Juvia was treated _far_ better than him.

"Argh." The Dragon Slayer heavily sighed, "She's at it again." Watching as his friend tried to tend to her obsession's needs.

Mirajane had now lost her demonic disposition and reverted back to her cheery self.

"Aaa~w how sweet." She sang clapping her hands together in delight, her matchmaking persona crafting some elaborate scheme to get the two Mages together.

"Fucking weird is what it is. Jeez girl can't ya give the guy some bloody room to breathe." Said Gajeel, a vain attempt as the girl was too absorbed in her, tendering. "Sheesh."

Juvia was the first to have stuck by Gajeel the longest, and she was another person in his life whom accepted him and never tried to make him into somebody he wasn't.

When he had first met Juvia his opinion of her narrowed down to two words; dull and lonely. Needless to say the two of them clicked together from the start. They both experienced loneliness – Gajeel from abandonment and Juvia from being ostracized (At least that's what he thought at first. Truth is there was a bigger reason why Juvia became the way she did, something that stemmed not from being socially rejected by people because of her 'ailment' but because of something else) – however Gajeel wasn't going to become her friend based on that one similarity alone and would've left her alone were it not for the fact that Juvia didn't want to leave him. He was after all the only one she could relate to, for you see, Gajeel and Juvia have _a lot more_ in common than anyone would think them to have.

Their relationship was physical based more so than anything else. It was the best way for the two of them to really connect with one another (and not in a romantic sense ya idiots). All physical displays of affection were intimate and were done in privacy away from watchful eyes. Once alone, the barriers would fall and they would open up to one another.

Plus, Juvia has a wild imagination, and the last thing Gajeel wanted was for the girl's mind to become warped; sprouting some absurd thoughts because so 'n so caught them in the act and started talking nonsense about the two of them (Mirajane being the prime suspect).

"Crazy woman."

In every sense of the word he and she are family. They would console the other with their problems – Juvia more than Gajeel – aid each other with whatever it was they needed – Gajeel more reluctant to help her than she him (though to be perfectly honest Juvia never minded helping the Dragon Slayer with whatever it was he needed) – they were just there for each other (Gajeel being _very_ protective of the Water Mage you would not believe). Even at times where he would act like a bastard and be outright rude making her upset Juvia still went out of her way to be there for him and still help Gajeel in any and every way she could. Hence, why she pleaded to Makarov to give him a chance and make the old man understand there was more to the Dragon Slayer than what the Guild had all seen of him. Juvia even went so far as to allowing herself to take responsibility and receive judgment should Gajeel ever 'misbehave'.

'_What the hell was she thinking?'_ He mused with a sour look.

Finishing the last of his meal – including the vegetable extract – Gajeel again thanked Mirajane for the food and stood from his seat.

"Let's go Lil." He says out loud, the black Exceed heeding his call and jumping down from his place on the counter and gearing up to leave.

"Thank you again Mirajane." Says Lily.

"Please Lily, call me Mira." The barmaid insisted.

"You're too kind." He replies.

Gajeel knew that the white-haired woman was longing to ask how long they'd be gone for. She always did now a days.

"How long will you be gone for?" She asked expectantly.

"Two months." Gajeel answered slinging the black travel sack over his shoulder, giving Mirajane a nod in farewell before turning to leave.

"Do not worry Mira, I'll make sure he comes back in one piece." Lily said reassuringly sending his partner a Cheshire grin who returned the gesture with a scoff feeling insulted.

"Ja ne." Starting to walk towards the Guild halls entrance, but not before looking over to Juvia who made eye contact with him.

'_Be safe.'_ Is what her eyes told him.

He didn't need to hear her speak aloud. The two had been together for so long and had a strong connection that they could practically read each other's thoughts when needed.

"Onii-chan." Came the vibrant voice of a girl, her light footsteps moving quickly towards him.

"Wendy."

Wendy Marvell, otherwise known as the Sky Sorceress and daughter to the Sky Dragon Grandeeney, and another of his kin.

As stated earlier Gajeel didn't enjoy being a part of the Guild. But he couldn't deny that his stay became a bit more bearable since Wendy joined.

The young girl had come a long way since the Nirvana incident. Before the blue-haired sorcerer was very shy and timid, along with low self-esteem issues. Now she started to gain more confidence in herself bit by bit as the days went by and became quite the capable young Mage in the process. But no one expected that it would be Gajeel who broke the young Dragon Slayer out of her shell. Everyone expected Natsu to be the one to do it, considering how the Fire Dragon Slayer – along with the other member of Team Natsu – had rescued her 'Guild' and that Wendy showed admiration towards him. But nope, the unexpected happened instead.

The problem with Natsu was that he was too brash and forceful and that wasn't what Wendy needed when trying to adapt to a new setting. She needed her space and time to adjust at her own pace, which is exactly what Gajeel had done for her.

Nobody knew what the young girl saw in Gajeel. Heck not even Gajeel knew what she saw in him either. When they first met Wendy was scared of him – not that he was intentional with his intimidating – which earned Gajeel a scolding and a slap on the face by the girl's Exceed.

'_Damn Cat.'_

But Wendy was resolute on making him see that she wasn't weak and helpless – something he wasn't thinking of – and stood up to him. She showed courage and had a helluva lot more guts than most people could muster, and in turn he respected her for it. Her willingness to show that she wasn't weak reminded him of Ryos.

'_Ryos…'_

"Oh, are you leaving again?" Wendy asked rhetorically, hoping that he wasn't.

"Yeah squirt, gonna be gone for longer this time." Said Gajeel watching as the girl's eye became downcast, disappointed by his answer.

Just like she called him, Wendy had started viewing him as an older brother. He became a big part of her life and affected her in so many ways.

Wendy was twelve years old and at that age she should have no problem socializing with people, even those of her own age group. But the 'people' she had grown up with were nothing more than illusions, created for the sake of a little girl who wanted to escape loneliness. And the moment realization hit her, the young girl didn't know how to interact with real people. She could've picked anyone to shadow, but she chose Gajeel instead, and while the girl was polite and well-mannered the older Dragon Slayer started to rub off on her, much to the dissatisfaction of some.

Turns out Wendy has quite the temper bottled up inside of her and she did her best not to get angry – because she didn't know how to bring that anger out let alone control it – but after spending some time with Gajeel who helped her learn to vent her frustrations well… let's just say big things come in small packages.

She toughened up while never losing her gentle and caring personality and, to everyone's surprise, and horror, Wendy Marvell… had used the infamous and trademark laugh of Gajeel Redfox.

'_Gee-hee-hee.'_

Hearing her use his laugh… it melted Gajeel's heart. His little Wendy had become a terror. It excited him.

Same couldn't be said for Carla however. The white Exceed was mortified, absolutely livid with how Gajeel had, in her own words, tainted Wendy and stripped her of her innocence (the latter part not literally what it sounds like). She wasn't happy about Wendy seeking guidance from such a dark character like Gajeel. She continuously kept her eye on the Iron Dragon Slayer whenever he and Wendy were together to make sure he didn't do anything inappropriate. Consequently she was getting used to being around Gajeel and was appreciative of his assistance with Wendy's growth. But hearing her laugh like Gajeel. _That_, was a major sin in her mind. Unforgivable.

"We'll hang out when I get back alright." Said Gajeel trying to raise her mood.

"Promise?" Wendy asked, her spirits rising.

"Promise."

"Pinky swear?" Lifting up her right pinky to Gajeel, giving him the look that could shatter his will at the sight of it.

'_Damn brat.'_ He cursed. He was too late, caught in her spell with no way of escaping it.

Suckling her lower lip; squirming in her place inches away from him; shuffling of the one foot; her cheeks becoming blemished with a reddish tint; pleading and heartwarming brown eyes shimmering at his uneasy red ones.

Gajeel could see now; he hadn't just turned sweet Wendy into a terror, he turned her into a devious young girl.

'_Must… not… give in… to… charm.'_ Feeling himself breaking under the strain of the young girl's look, doing everything in his power to resist. _'Must… resist.'_

"Onii-chan?"

Aaaa~nd she had him.

"Alright alright. Pinky swear." Conceding in defeat yet again at the girl's tactical play, hooking his pinky finger around Wendy's, the young girl grinning in victory.

"Turn around, touch the ground pinky swear."

"Don't push it kid."

"Gee-hee-hee."

There it was again, his laugh. Ha-ha, it suited her. In an odd, cute way.

"Wendy~." Carla whined, still not used to hearing her friend laugh like Gajeel.

"Hm-hm." The black Exceed chuckled at the humor of the scene before him. He pictured a Wendy as the next Gajeel running around in Fairy Tail; tomboyish, aggressive and with a mean look to scare the pants off of people. Oh yes he could see it clearly. _'Chaos added to more chaos.'_

"We'll be seeing ya." Gajeel said to the two females.

Before he could get away Wendy trapped him in a hug, burying her face in his torso.

He froze, becoming increasingly uncomfortable. He didn't do this public display of affection stuff. But…

"I'm gonna come back. 'Kay." Ruffling her blue hair with his free hand.

"Okay." She spoke, her voice muffled by his body.

He wasn't going to deny her this; this moment of closeness, assurance… love.

'_Heh, love huh.'_

He had grown attached to her. More than he ever thought possible. He became her brother, and she became his, sister.

"That's some hold ya got there." He said. Small arms encircling his body. Small, but strong. "Gee-hee, you 'n me are gonna have a spar when I get back squirt."

Wendy released him of her hold and stepped back. Looking up at him with one last smile before he started walking away.

"Take care Wendy." Said Lily.

"You to Lily-san."

"Carla." Bowing his head to the young Exceed.

"Take care." She said watching her senior follow his partner.

Yeah… as much as he didn't like being here at Fairy Tail. He divulged that there were indeed folks worth sticking around for.

Pantherlily, Juvia, Mirajane, Wendy and Carla…

'_Yeah... worth it...'_

But no matter how much he convinced himself that the selected few amongst the large majority of people were worth staying for...

_'But is it enough?'_

Much more than the comfort of those he had grown fond of was needed for him. If not here, then elsewhere.

Question is, what?

* * *

><p><strong><span>A.N<span>: Well that's that. Lemme know your thoughts.**

**Till then, Keep Trickin :|**

**(!... Now I'm hungry)**


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